Midnight

Despite the uncertain start, tonight has gone quite well. There's been a nice mix of automotive curiosities to view and interactions with others on occasion. Despite Starla's exclamation earlier, she's been level-headed and discretionary in how often and who she approaches; that may be purely for my benefit, or she's adjusting to tempering that boundless excitement, but I'm not sure.

Nonetheless, we've met a handful of ponies – and had another short run-in with Aurora – as well as some kids; personally, I didn't have much interest in them, but one little girl was particularly enamored by Starla's appearance to approach her. Her reward? A short ride on Starla's back.

I really hate that word but I have to admit... the scene was kinda cute watching Star carry her overjoyed little companion around. It was certainly a highlight of the night for both of them.

I haven't had to step in too much since the first few interactions; Starla appears to have a better grip on her emotions now with a little bit of experience under her belt. Fortunately, my signal to her with my eyes has worked flawlessly – no more awkward moments when I do feel the need to step in.

Personally, I've been fine remaining more on the sidelines now; after all, my main objective is to assist Star, with the bonus of cars to look at. But I suppose getting into conversation with strangers has become... less uncomfortable. I will never be anything close to a socialite, but being more well-rounded makes times like tonight easier.

If I had to pick a particular highlight of mine as this show begins to wind down, I'd have to say it was the awestruck boy pointing out 'that bad-ass Nightmare Moon over there.' I can't deny that put some extra pep in my step and a laugh from Starla; unfortunately for the kid, he got a scolding for the language.

But for the past hour since spotting something, I've admittedly been playing a passive hide-and-seek game. We've met our fair share of ponybots, but there's one I want to avoid. I haven't mentioned it to Starla or Teddy – I've just been able to find the excuse to dash over to another row of cars when my eyes catch sight of that mane nearby.

At least for the past twenty minutes, I've only had to redirect Starla; with the revelation of more relaxed rules here regarding ponies, we've set out on our own just a short distance from the Cutlass. Teddy got caught up discussing his car with a fellow enthusiast, and seeing how well Star and I were getting along during the night, didn't want to hold us up. We're staying within eyesight of him, which is a decent margin considering the thinning crowd.

I don't really know why I'm so aversive to meeting a Luna bot; the Celestia bot, Aurora – that meeting went well. Hell, the Twilight bot from months ago in the store didn't place me as anything familiar. But seeing that starry blue mane...

I feel uncomfortable with the idea. Not just because of possible stronger ties there to my appearance but the... well, the utterly bizarre dream I had just a day ago with her. It all just feels so weird to even consider now. Even besides the uncertainties regarding one particular bot's knowledge of Nightmare Moon, how the hell am I gonna talk with her and not think back to that vivid dream?

"Midnight."

"Hm?" I turn my head upon Starla's call to find her violet eyes studying me.

"You've been awfully quiet for a few minutes. You doing alright?" she asks, keeping her voice low and cautious.

I guess I have been sorting through my internal thoughts for some time now. Even so, it's nothing that I would consider troubling or bothersome enough to share with her. "Yeah, I'm fine," I respond, shrugging my shoulders. "Just trying to figure out some things in my head."

"Oh? Maybe I can help. To be honest, you got me a little concerned."

"Oh, it's nothing like that, Starla," I assure her. But those inquisitive eyes refuse to stray away until I come up with something of substance to offer.

I'd feel a little silly if I admitted I'm concerned about running into a Luna bot for reasons I don't fully understand. But saying nothing isn't an option. So..."I'm just thinking about everything we've seen today. Some of those Fords are kinda confusing. Like that Fairlane fastback we saw – I thought all the fastbacks were called Torinos, but apparently, I'm wrong."

That's actually not a lie – but it's not what my state of internal affairs is dealing with at the moment. Yet I don't sell the half-truth well enough to persuade Starla, for her eyes narrow and remain pointed in my direction.

That is, until they abruptly widen in surprise. "Midnight, look ou—"

She almost gets the call out before I walk right into an obstacle in front of me. I flinch back, startled by the sudden stop.

"By the stars, my sincere apologies," waxes a proper and silky feminine voice. I don't even have to turn my head and look to see who I've managed to run into – that short remark jogs my memory in a flash...

The one who I've been avoiding all night, Princess Luna, looks on with mild embarrassment as I turn to look at her. Much like I would expect from the show and my dream, she's a bit shorter than Starla and I – and Aurora from earlier for that matter – but not by much.

"I— sorry. That was my fault," I admit, stumbling over myself in the moment. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Hi there!" Starla jets in, taking a step toward Luna. "I'm Starla and – I kinda distracted my friend Midnight here into not watching where she was walking. Sorry about that." Her grin turns uneasy as she apologizes, but that only serves to garner a chuckle from Luna.

"I suppose we all deserve part of the blame – I should not have been cutting in between automobiles. My apologies for that," she responds, putting out a hoof. "It is a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Moona."

Alright, so apparently custom names are the norm, not the exception – and I'm going to guess, at least in this case, the child was the one to name her. Regardless of name origin, I guess a custom name makes sense – it would be a pain in the ass to differentiate separate ponies from one another if they all had the same name. But I'm sure there are still plenty of folks out there that keep their bots in character, too...

Starla eagerly accepts Moona's hoofshake, much to the amusement of our new acquaintance. In contrast, still a bit blindsided by this sudden run-in, I'm a bit slower on the uptake once Moona turns to shake my hoof. She has a keen eye, for her smile falters upon my slight hesitation to accept her gesture. "You are not harmed, are you?" she asks, tilting her head.

"No. No, I'm fine," I dismiss her concerns, eager to be rid of any suspicions that may be brewing in Moona's mind. I stick my leg out and shake her hoof "I'm – yeah, what Starla said. I'm Midnight."

I did a great job of stumbling through that – and as a result, Moona doesn't appear to be swayed that I am 'fine.' Her smile fades a bit more as those turquoise eyes inspect me, darting from my face to the rest of my form. All at once, her eyes go wide. "Pardon me for saying this, but your appearance surprises me," she gasps. "Is it mere coincidence you share striking similarities with... er..."

Shit. I guess I had reason to be concerned after all...

"Nightmare Moon?" Starla suggests.

Outstanding work, Star.

Moona points a hoof toward Starla with a gasp. "Yes, but I was fearful of being offensive," she replies. "I understand that name has negative connotations in regards to myself – but that does not personally trouble me. My concern was it being taken as a derogatory comment."

...really? Her hangup was the possibility of offending me?

Starla glances at me while I try to comprehend this baffling situation in order to for a response. Sensing my hangup, she steps in again. "We're actually both custom models," she explains, garnering a nod from Moona. "I don't really have a basis, but Midnight— well, that was your basis, wasn't it?"

"Yeah – they just changed it up a bit. Small details... you know, avoid trademarks and that stuff," I manage to piece together. "No, I'm not offended by it. I guess I'm sort of surprised you aren't more shocked by my appearance."

Again, Moona tilts her head, gazing at me almost dumbfounded. "Certainly, your appearance is striking, but why should I feel alarmed? Do you wish to bring eternal night to this world?"

"Uh... no? That's sort of an odd thing to suggest."

"Just as it would be odd for me to be unsettled by you," she replies, chuckling. "Of course, we are derived from a children's cartoon show – but that does not mean we directly fulfill the roles of our specific characters. I am not an actual princess – and you are not a villain."

When she says it like that, I feel like an idiot for even being concerned in the first place – it makes sense she would be aware of her place in this world and grounded in reality. It makes sense to have knowledge of the show for children's sake – but not to act upon it. Which sort of makes it bizarre the two other bots didn't recognize my looks – but be it different programming or politeness – there's a number of variables in that equation.

"I— yeah, I don't know what I was thinking," I comment, trying to sell it with a short laugh. "I guess the occasional kid scared by my appearance had me expecting something different."

Fortunately, Moona breaks into a giggle with my explanation. "Ah yes – children can be quite impressionable at younger ages," she muses. "One of the little girls in my family is convinced I am the reason a particular recurring nightmare has finally been chased away. I can only assume my attempts to alleviate her fears by vowing no harm could ever come to her from such dreams may have played a role in some sense."

"Aww, that's sweet," Starla gushes, holding a hoof to her chest.

"It is, but I am also keenly aware those nightmares could return – and while I only assured her those dreams could not bring her harm, I am unsure of what I will do should my concerns become reality," Monna admits. But the troubled expression on her face remains brief; she shakes her head free of those thoughts and relaxes again. " But I assume by your comments regarding children fearing you – you do not live with any?" she asks me.

"No, that's sort of the nature of custom bots, I think," I respond, noting Starla shaking her head negative on the question as well. "When it comes to custom models, they usually belong to grown men with too much time on their hands."

My comment elicits a giggle from Starla beside me; Moona nods her head, but there's no hiding that perplexed look beyond the smile she flashes.

"Star! Mid!" Teddy's voice calls out from a distance; both us us turn our heads and see him standing by the Cutlass alone and waving for our attention.

"Aww, I think it's about time for us to go," Starla pouts, shifting her attention back to Moona. "Hopefully we can run into each other again sometime and have a longer chit-chat."

"Maybe not actually run into each other next time," I joke.

"Indeed – it is nearing the top of the hour, the show is all but over for tonight," Moona comments. "But I also hope we may meet again soon. Perhaps another car show in the future in the nearby area?"

"Yeah, next time I might have a car to show. Well – my companion and I."

"I look forward to that," she replies, beaming with anticipation while offering Starla and I another hoofshake before parting ways. "Farewell for the time being, my friends."

"Bye Moona, take care," Starla calls after her. Even though the headcount is rapidly dwindling, Moona's form soon melts into what remains of the forms and lengthening shadows mulling about.

"Well that was quite the interesting meeting," Starla quips while we turn and head back toward Teddy. It's a comment with seemingly little direction, but that gives me little pause.

"Yeah, that went smoother than I could have ever imagined," I chuckle. Starla's eyebrows raise upon hearing my response, causing me to hesitate.

"Is that why we're been cutting between rows and taking roundabout ways the latter half of tonight?" she proposes, slightly amused by the thought...

Or she already put two and two together – that's the more likely answer. I can't fool myself into believing otherwise.

"...that might have had something to do with it."

"Do you really think that low of yourself, Midnight?" she follows up, not bothering to mask the inkling of pain that trickles into her voice.

"No, it's not like that Star – I have a good view of myself nowadays," I protest. "I just... with that being Luna, I didn't know how she would react to my appearance. I thought it would just be better to avoid the situation, just in case. If any bot is going to have strong feelings toward me or recognize me, it would have been her, right?"

"That's— that's really it?" The dumbfounded expression on her face is something to behold for just a moment, even though that wasn't my goal.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. It was never about me or how I felt about myself. What did you expect?" I respond, turning the tables now to sate my own curiosity.

"I was thinking you were getting hard on yourself because... I've been doing most of the talking tonight. It's come pretty easy for me, and I was a bit worried you felt left out or you were comparing yourself to me. I guess I never thought you were focused on one specific individual, or for a particular reason."

"That doesn't make it much better in regards to that last bit," I comment with a dry laugh. "But no, as for the rest of it – you're much more sociable than I am. You probably always will be, and I'm perfectly fine with that, Starla. Tonight hasn't been overwhelming but to be honest, I feel a bit mentally drained from the discussions I have taken part in. It's just not my thing."

"I hope it's consolation that it means a lot for you to be here tonight and helping me out," Star crows, leaning up against me. "Thanks again."

"No problem – I'm glad I was able to help after what you've done for me," I remind her, putting my weight against her now. "And even though it was uncomfortable at times, I think it did me some good to get out and about l, too."

"But you're ready to head home, aren't you?" An innocuous suggestion, if I didn't note the certain mischievous look in Starla's violet eyes. Or that thin smile she's trying to hide away.

"I'm not that desperate to see John, no."

"I never said his name – you brought it up," she gasps, trying to hold in a giggle.

"Oh come on, that's clearly what you're trying to hint at," I argue, rolling my eyes.

"I was only hinting at wanting to see the freshly-painted engine, not John," she teases, speeding into a trot now.

"You know what? I think I've had my fill of big sis for tonight," I muse, turning up my nose to finish the statement for added effect.

Starla laughs – and all too soon, I have to join in.

What an evening.